Alyssa Thomas has been featured on the hood of RFK Racing’s No. 60 Castrol Ford, driven by Ryan Preece, after a marketing panel with Castrol at the WNBA All-Star game. The Phoenix Mercury star helped design the look, and her face completed a 168-lap ride around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Thomas described the pairing as a natural fit, noting that her nickname is “The Engine” and that it’s a rare honor to have her image on a racing car. The project comes as the Mercury pursue a new chapter following Diana Taurasi’s retirement and Brittney Griner’s move to the Atlanta Dream.
Phoenix’s roster shakeup appears to be paying off. Under first-year coach Nate Tibbetts, the Mercury have adapted to a pace-and-space style and sit at 21-13 as of Thursday, a step up from last season’s 19-21 finish.
Thomas arrived in Phoenix as part of a rebuild that also brought Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper. She has thrived since the move, becoming a centerpiece of Tibbetts’ offense and a leading figure in the Mercury’s turnaround.
The 6-foot-2 forward is the WNBA’s current leader in triple-doubles and added five more this season, including a league-record streak of three straight this month. She has 20 of the 52 career WNBA triple-doubles and four this month tie the most by any player in a single month. Thomas is an All-Star for the sixth time in her first season with Phoenix and is emerging as an MVP candidate with some of her best shooting and playmaking numbers.
Thomas averages 8.6 rebounds per game and 16.1 points while shooting a career-high 54.3% from the floor. Her playmaking stands out in Tibbetts’ offense: despite her interior size, she consistently finds teammates and has become the league’s most prolific distributing forward. She set the WNBA single-season assists record with 316 in 2023 (a mark since surpassed by Caitlin Clark) and sits seventh on the all-time assists list; in Phoenix, she’s averaging a league-leading 9.0 assists per game this season, more than five per game higher than the next closest player.
The Engine’s season-long surge has helped the Mercury surge with her, signaling a potentially bright era for the franchise.
What this means for cross-sport marketing
– This collaboration showcases how women athletes can drive high-visibility branding across sports, expanding audiences for both the WNBA and sponsor Castrol.
– The NASCAR tie-in could attract new fans to women’s basketball and fuel future partnerships that blend sport and lifestyle branding.
– It emphasizes Thomas’s evolving role not only as a standout player but as a versatile ambassador for the Mercury and the league.
Summary
Alyssa Thomas’s face on a NASCAR hood marks a notable convergence of basketball and auto racing, underscoring her rising impact as a player and a public figure as Phoenix upgrades its roster and aims for deeper playoff runs.
Additional note
Thomas’s ongoing success as a distributor and scorer complements her evolving reputation as a versatile playmaker, reinforcing why she’s a central figure in Phoenix’s rebuilding efforts and a magnet for cross-promotional opportunities. If she continues producing at this level, expect more high-profile collaborations that celebrate her unique skill set and leadership on and off the court.